Advice re buying this kind of E Bike - Raleigh Evo

OK...binned the 'shopper style' e-bike, instead going for ( probably :D ) a Halfords Raleigh Felix 700c Crossbar Electric Hybrid Bike at £1,900.
Now I'm only a stocky 5ft 8 ins so should I go for the 46cm frame ( 5ft 4ins to 5ft 9ins ) or the 53cm frame ( 5ft 7ins to 6ft 1 ins ). I'm getting smaller with old age so never going to get taller :D

Also, do you guys insure ( who with? ) these e-bikes?
 
Kenny said:
OK...binned the 'shopper style' e-bike, instead going for ( probably :D ) a Halfords Raleigh Felix 700c Crossbar Electric Hybrid Bike at £1,900.
Now I'm only a stocky 5ft 8 ins so should I go for the 46cm frame ( 5ft 4ins to 5ft 9ins ) or the 53cm frame ( 5ft 7ins to 6ft 1 ins ). I'm getting smaller with old age so never going to get taller :D

Also, do you guys insure ( who with? ) these e-bikes?
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House insurance for mine
Does it have to be a Raleigh ?
I would go to a good local bike shop and try all makes as a demo
 
You can get a 5% discount on any Raleigh bike if you're a member of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. I'd be surprised if a 5% discount wasn't available through many other organisations.
 
Kenny said:
OK...binned the 'shopper style' e-bike, instead going for ( probably :D ) a Halfords Raleigh Felix 700c Crossbar Electric Hybrid Bike at £1,900.
Now I'm only a stocky 5ft 8 ins so should I go for the 46cm frame ( 5ft 4ins to 5ft 9ins ) or the 53cm frame ( 5ft 7ins to 6ft 1 ins ). I'm getting smaller with old age so never going to get taller :D

Also, do you guys insure ( who with? ) these e-bikes?
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Just had a look at that Felix, that's worth considering. I think I'd go for the one with the 400w battery. Lets each buy one in matching colours and cycle to Dent together. Yours would obviously have the basket :D
 
FatAl said:
Just had a look at that Felix, that's worth considering. I think I'd go for the one with the 400w battery. Lets each buy one in matching colours and cycle to Dent together. Yours would obviously have the basket :D
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It would be like Moto 3 gp, you'd be streamlining my wicker basket on the straights!��
 
Kenny said:
OK...binned the 'shopper style' e-bike, instead going for ( probably :D ) a Halfords Raleigh Felix 700c Crossbar Electric Hybrid Bike at £1,900.
Now I'm only a stocky 5ft 8 ins so should I go for the 46cm frame ( 5ft 4ins to 5ft 9ins ) or the 53cm frame ( 5ft 7ins to 6ft 1 ins ). I'm getting smaller with old age so never going to get taller :D

Also, do you guys insure ( who with? ) these e-bikes?
Click to expand...

Add the bike to home and contents insurance. Cheapest way to go.
Don’t buy blind. Go and try some out. I think Halfords let you have a trial on one for a few hours. We got ours from Rutland cycling in Leicester where they have a test track. Sue was fussy with her bike and tried 3 or 4 before she was happy!
 
I have a Furo Systems Aventa Max...I am mostly pleased with it, but some of the components are a bit cheap, they would call it aircraft quality, I call it cheap, but then it makes it light.
Mine was 1800 all in and it does go to 500w, whatever that means...All I know is that it has been a life saver for us, only having one bus a week that does not return and living 8 miles form the nearest 'real' shop and it is massive inclines and descents, thankfully my calculations paid off and it is viable, also helped me to lose a lot of weight and keep it off....It was a steep learning curve, literally, on how to ride an e bike to get the most out of it...I do tow a trailer with it also, that does carry a 26K gas cannister and I sometimes put 20K of water with it, but that is only for a 6 mile trek...It does use more juice, so the lighter you are, the better it will be.
 
AdrianS said:
Add the bike to home and contents insurance. Cheapest way to go.
Don’t buy blind. Go and try some out. I think Halfords let you have a trial on one for a few hours. We got ours from Rutland cycling in Leicester where they have a test track. Sue was fussy with her bike and tried 3 or 4 before she was happy!
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We also bought our e-bikes from Rutland Cycles in Leicester and a test ride is very worthwhile.

Rutland also hire Cube e-MTBs - and that is a good way of deciding.
 
AdrianS said:
Add the bike to home and contents insurance. Cheapest way to go.
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Not for us! Our house insurers wanted silly money.

The insurer we did use specified a Sold Secure Gold standard lock for when we are out and about.
 
att said:
I have a Furo Systems Aventa Max...I am mostly pleased with it, but some of the components are a bit cheap, they would call it aircraft quality, I call it cheap, but then it makes it light.
Mine was 1800 all in and it does go to 500w, whatever that means...All I know is that it has been a life saver for us, only having one bus a week that does not return and living 8 miles form the nearest 'real' shop and it is massive inclines and descents, thankfully my calculations paid off and it is viable, also helped me to lose a lot of weight and keep it off....It was a steep learning curve, literally, on how to ride an e bike to get the most out of it...I do tow a trailer with it also, that does carry a 26K gas cannister and I sometimes put 20K of water with it, but that is only for a 6 mile trek...It does use more juice, so the lighter you are, the better it will be.
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What you've done (thru necessity) is the perfect use for one. I hope you carry on as you're doing now, once you get proper motorised transport back.

Kenny, also have a look at something like a Swytch kit or a Bafang kit....get a well specced, little used hybrid from Facebook/gumtree etc (£400-£500) and a full kit at £600-£800 and where individual parts are easy to replace should they go tits up.

https://www.swytchbike.com/

https://bafang-e.com/en/home/
 
I've got used to using my Haibike SDuro 3.0 with it's 500KWh battery pack. I do perhaps 15miles a day, and I only charge it once a week and it's not flat when I plug it in. It easily does 15.5mph in turbo up the hills into my town, but I'm happy at 10mph or so in tour, but most of the time I use eco.

It's a heavy bike, but it's noticeably lighter when I take the battery off.

I also have a Tern 8 speed folding, but non powered bike that gets used occasionally. The Tern is rim braked and they're fine, and easier to look after long term compared to discs.

The Haibike is a mid drive Bosch motor and it does give a nice ride, but, it can wear the chain quickly, but unlike the front or rear wheel motors, you can still use quick release wheels for when you get the inevitable puncture.

My sister has her name down for a Swytch kit.

If I was looking for another ebike, I would be tempted by the Volt metro which is rear drive motor, folding bike for about £1600 with disc brakes. It doesn't come across as so cheap that it's probably rubbish, but it's not like the £3000 for the leccy Tern's either.
 
The Bosch mid-drive does work well.

Four assistance modes to choose from; 250w maximum assist (legal maximum) and the assistance fades out from about 15.5mph (rather than just switching off).

Our insurer, Eversure, stipulated that the bikes had to be road legal and secured with a Sold Secure Gold standard lock.

I think that the authorities will soon start clamping down on illegal e-bike and e-scooters.
 
When I started looking into e-bikes a few years ago, the accepted wisdom was that mid mount drives although better than wheel mounts, do wear the drive train out quickly, as they work like a motorcycle engine, and ‘pull’ on the chain and rear cassette.
The wheel mount motors ‘push’ the bike along. I guess they put more load on the spokes though. Wheel mounts can be front or rear too, you may have a preference with the weight of the motor at the front or back. I’ve had several e-bikes now, cheapies and high end, just bought Trek Powerfly 4 which is brill with the Bosch Performance line CX and 500w battery. One of my favourites, bizarrely was a G-Tech, the people that make vacuums. They are still about used, maybe new too. They were around £900 with two batteries.
Single speed, belt drive wheel mount motors. lightweight and very uncomplicated.

This is my new toy.
 

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Akulaking said:
The wheel mount motors ‘push’ the bike along. I guess they put more load on the spokes though.
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I am not sure about that - in either case you're turning a hub, which in turn transfers the torque to the rim via the spokes. Whether the hub is turned by an internal motor or via a chain and cassette probably doesn't matter.
 
The Other PaulG said:
I am not sure about that - in either case you're turning a hub, which in turn transfers the torque to the rim via the spokes. Whether the hub is turned by an internal motor or via a chain and cassette probably doesn't matter.
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You’re probably right, but some of the more powerful hub motors generate a fair bit of torque, and if used regularly on full power could have an impact on the spokes, legs on the other hand less so.
 
One of the advantages of mid drive is that they have a torque sensitive monitoring system. If you are pedalling hard they will increase the assistance given..This can’t be done by a wheel based system. Balance is also better and I am sure if you have a puncture it is easier to repair a wheel without a motor hub. Why are most of the high end bikes mid motor driven?
 
The Other PaulG said:
I am not sure about that - in either case you're turning a hub, which in turn transfers the torque to the rim via the spokes. Whether the hub is turned by an internal motor or via a chain and cassette probably doesn't matter.
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Paul

I agree mid motor driving a hub or hub mounted both transfer energy via the spokes. The only comment I would make is the hub motor will have more inertia since its magnets will be rotating. Whereas a cassette will truly disconnect the motor. So the rider may feel a “ push” when tapering power eg bit like a heavy flywheel on a lazy single motorcycle.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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